Category: Semafor

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has launched South Africa’s first low-cost version of its weight-loss drug, in a bid to squeeze out counterfeit products in Africa’s most obese nation. Demand for the drug, first developed for diabetes before becoming a global weight-loss phenomenon, has exploded. Some branded versions such as ...

Magenta silks, bright yellow raffia, and delicately woven motifs graced Imane Ayissi’s runway in Paris, a true fashion feast blending African and European fabrics, styles, and cuts. Cameroon-born Ayissi, the only designer from sub-Saharan Africa to ever take part in Paris’ haute couture shows, makes a point of featuring designs ...

, by Jean-Noël Orengo. Newly translated from French, Orengo’s self-described “counter-fiction” reexamines the life of Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler’s close friend and minister of armaments and war production in Nazi Germany who reinvented himself after World War II. Tracing Speer’s rise and his postwar rehabilitation, the novel examines how he ...

Brazil said it would reciprocate after the US imposed 25% tariffs, a move that has shaken up the South American country’s economy and politics. Brasília — a rarity on the continent for running a trade deficit with Washington — also unveiled a $2.6 billion package to support the worst-hit industries. ...

The News Nuclear power is key to bolstering energy security in Africa, but its rollout on the continent requires workforce training and safety regulations, according to a leading industry expert. The Iran war has injected fresh urgency into the need for homegrown energy solutions on the continent, as fuel deliveries ...

The Scoop TAWAL, the telecom tower company controlled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, is in talks to acquire more than 10,000 sites from the kingdom’s second-largest mobile operator, according to people familiar with the matter. The multibillion-dollar deal would involve Public Investment Fund-backed TAWAL buying the assets from Mobily, ...

The News DR Congo’s government will consider changes sought by mining companies to a proposed overhaul of the country’s mining laws, a government spokesman told Semafor, as executives warned that repeated shifts in the rules could deter investment. “If there are concerns or points raised by our friends in the ...

Andy Burnham will become the UK prime minister today, facing the same list of economic and political problems that undermined several predecessors. Britain has low growth, high inflation, and heavy debt, and he is constrained by his own fiscal pledges. The country also lacks energy infrastructure and housing, but struggles ...

Andy Burnham becomes the UK’s new prime minister on Monday, and fixing Britain’s economy will be at the top of his agenda. Sluggish growth, high public debt, and elevated government borrowing costs are among his challenges. In his first speech as Labour Party leader on Friday, Burnham declared: “I have ...

Spain defeated Argentina to win the FIFA men’s World Cup on Sunday, capping a tournament that was broadly seen as a success for the North American host nations. Fans showed up despite fears that high ticket prices would keep them away and concerns that the US’ immigration crackdown would deter ...